Minnesota Moments

On the light rail yesterday a young girl dressed in her Cordon Bleu uniform, a very spiffy crisp white chef's jacket and black and white checked pants, sat near us. Another passenger asked how she liked her classes. "I'm a vegan so I'm not too happy right now. They are making me cut up chickens."

The asker was very understanding and counseled that maybe it would be a necessary skill to learn how to debone a chicken , " . . think of it as an art."

"I know I'll be blubbering during the whole thing. I love animals and to think I'm touching dead skin may be too much," the future chef said.

"Keep some tissues handy, honey."

You never know where you'll find a wise woman.

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Bob has asked everyone he's talked to in Minnesota whether they were here when the bridge collapsed over the Mississippi. So far, everyone was living here and everyone knows someone who almost died that day on the bridge- they almost went the route that would take them over the Mississippi River on that bridge, but changed their minds or were late getting off work.

At first, I thought, they must tell all the tourists their "bridge" story. But, on second thought, I can understand that thousands of people took that route to and from their work and home every day and there must be thousands of almost could-have-been-me stories.

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When Bob needs his rest or I get restless, I head for the shops wherever we are at in the country, mostly for exercise and to people watch. Right . . .

Today, since we came back early from St. Paul and I now know the way to the MALL OF AMERICA (MOA)- the center of universe, I thought I could scoot out for one more marathon through the shops and mobs.

But, then I read an article in the paper about a new spa at the MOA. A spa specializing in the beauty needs of very young princesses, of say, four years or so. The shop has an ice cream theme and is called, SCOOOP - three o's because "life is too short to just have one scoop." Precious.

I'm all for having extra scoops. I do, though, have reservations about preschoolers feeling life is too short and that little girls deserve more before they have tasted a few mudpies.

I decided to skip the thrill of the mall today and will stay in and count my scoops.

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